A popular North Shore festival and fundraiser for aquatic wildlife preservation is making a grand splash for another year.
The Coho Festival is coming to Ambleside Park in West Vancouver on Sunday, Sept. 7, celebrating salmon’s annual return to the North Shore rivers and streams while also raising funds for local environmental groups.
At 9 a.m. the festival will kick off with the Coho Swim, where dozens of people in wetsuits will swim from the Welcome Figure totem pole to the Capilano watershed at Ambleside Beach.
The open-water swim, which can be done at 1.5-kilometre and three-kilometre distances, mimics the migratory patterns of coho and other native salmon for millennia, according to the Coho Society, the volunteer organization that runs the event.
After the race, swimmers will enjoy a hearty pancake breakfast where the top winners will be given medals.
From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. the main activities take place, said board member and president of the Coho Society Tony Wachmann. The day-long festival will have the coho salmon barbecue with community leaders as chefs alongside a Coho Garden offering local craft beers, cider and wine.
Around 1 p.m. the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Canoe Family will have a traditional “blessing of the salmon” ceremony. A war canoe from the Squamish Nation will also be on display as well as crafts and activities for kids to check out.
The “stewardship zone” will have educators and environmental groups with exhibits and displays highlighting salmon, fish and everything else in the oceans, Wachmann said.
Seymour Fish Hatchery, North Shore Streamkeepers and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are some of the organizations that will attend. DFO will be bringing out the Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft, welcoming visitors aboard to check out the vessel.
The annual 14-kilometre Coho Run, which spans from Kitsilano Beach to Ambleside, will not take place due to construction along the route and other logistical issues. Wachmann said they plan to bring the run back next year.
The festival, now in its 45th year, draws in thousands of people from the North Shore and other parts of Metro Vancouver, he said, adding that the society has raised nearly $1 million for North Shore environmental agencies and projects.
Wachmann encourages people to come out to the event and learn about conservation efforts and salmon.
“It’s a nice, fun time for everybody and a nice day, but the message is still the same everything we do is about salmon, salmon habitat and keeping them happy where they are and growing,” he said.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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